Friday, April 30, 2010

Last week we looked at the iconic designer packages from Hermes, Chanel, and Tiffany, and how they relate to interior design (you can read that post by clicking here). Vanessa, from the lovely blog decor happy mentioned Kate Spade and kelly green ... thank you Vanessa, you inspired this post!! Let’s take a look (PS. if anyone has any other suggestions please let me know, cause I am loving the fashion inspiration right now)!

Kate Spade:

Kate appears to be the Queen of green! Here’s a look at the iconic green box, and the classic green and white striped bag:

Any one fancy a luxe Kate spade green bag? Sign me up!

I think we can all agree kelly green has been popping up all over the place for a while now! Rule of thumb: if you see something twice, it’s a coincidence. If you see it three times, it’s a trend! Here’s a beautiful hallway featuring Kelly Wearstler’s Imperial Trellis wallpaper:

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

I’m excited to host my very first giveaway! As a new blogger, I really appreciate all the support my blog-world friends have given me, and here’s a chance to say thanks! This giveaway is in collaboration with CSN Stores (there are over 200 stores!), where you can find tons and tons of products: everything from pots and pans, to corner tv stands, to bedding, to original eames chairs!! Be sure to hop over and check them out!

One of my lucky readers will be the winner of a Unison accent pillow of your choice. Unison’s fun and colorful collection of printed bedding and throw pillows combines organic and graphic inspired motifs for a very modern look. The great thing is, Unison uses certified organic fibers for these pretty little hand-printed feather and down-filled pillows:

Specifications:

• 95% feather and 5% down fill

• 100% organic cotton shell

• Hidden zipper

• Machine wash in warm water

Here’s how to enter:

1.First entry: Leave a comment to this post which includes the number of the pillow that would best fit your home’s décor.

2. For a second entry do any of the following: subscribe to this blog via email (using the subscribe by email box on the sidebar), or become a follower of this blog (also on the sidebar, I have 1 follower so far, woot woot!!), or post about this giveaway on your own blog. Do all three and you can enter 3 more times! If you are already a subscriber or follower go ahead and enter twice. Please leave a separate comment for any of the above ways to enter so they will count as another separate entry.

The contest is open to readers with US or Canadian addresses only and will close on Friday May 7th 2010 at midnight. A winner will be chosen using random.org, so be sure to check back to see if it’s you, so you can send me your email address and arrange to receive your prize!

And here are the accent pillows for you to choose from, good luck everyone!

Saturday, April 24, 2010

Spring is in full swing! This often brings our attention back to our outdoor spaces and gardens. Last year my husband and I did a re-vamp of our front lawn to improve our home’s curb appeal. All the reno’s we have been doing in our home thus far have been carefully selected to get the most bang for our buck when it comes time to sell, and I think a home’s first impression should always be way up on that list! Here’s an idea of how the front landscaping looked when we first bought the home:

The front garden left a lot to be desired… the plants were looking a little bushy, and we were constantly at war with a plethora of weeds! We decided to rip everything out and start from scratch:

The first thing that we had done was some decorative curbing to define the space:

Both my husband and I are not quite gardeners per se, so in order to minimize our on-going battle with weeds, we opted for a heavy-duty liner topped with large-sized river rocks. It’s been working great so far! So here is how it all turned out:

We did a few other things including replacing the worn roof. As well we did a quick and inexpensive upgrade by changing the light fixtures in front of the house, the new ones were from Home Depot. Good-bye 1986, hellooo 2010!

We chose plants with some structure to them, a Pom Pom Juniper (I call her our cheerleader!), a Japanese maple, and a hedge of boxwoods.

In a few years the boxwood hedge should fill out and will then be trimmed squarely together, something like this:

Okay … maybe not quite that elaborate looking, but you get the idea!

Here you can see a close up of the stamp and coloring we chose for the curbing. We pulled some of the coloring out of the brick in the front.

In the spring, we get a nice little touch of color, so pretty:

Since spring has arrived, it has been so much fun to watch things grow. And the best part of all is how low maintenance the landscaping has become. I’m hoping we’ll get a return on our investment in the future! I'll be linking this post to "Metamorphosis Monday's" over at Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to pop over there to see tons of great before & afters!! I will also be participating in the "Bring In The Spring!" party over at Posh Pieces, you can head over there for some serious spring inspirations!

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

I’ve said it before, but I have to say it again! Fashion and interior design often go hand in hand. How better to showcase this than by showing you how iconic and pretty packaging from several fashion houses can translate into gorgeous interiors?

1. Hermes:

Who doesn’t love the classic and bold look of the Hermes box? I think if I could ever afford anything from Hermes I would be almost as excited about the box as I would be about the contents!

Chanel No.5 is one of the world’s most famous perfumes, but the interesting part is that we recognize the box as much as we do the bottle!

Black and white laquered boxes, like these from Lillie, show a direct influence from the iconic Chanel packing:

Here’s a glamorous dressing room that pays literal homage to Coco Chanel herself. Designed by Anne Hepfer, this room features vinyl-wallpaper (Phillip Jeffries) and a lacquered vanity in the classic black and white palette. Isn’t it like stepping into a Chanel box?

I couldn’t leave out this pretty little package that I think any girl would die to receive! Did you know the Tiffany Blue color is protected as a color trademark by Tiffany & Co.? I don’t blame them; it’s one of the most divine shades of turquoise I have ever laid eyes on:

I would love to have these stunning lacquered turquoise and white boxes from Plantation Design:

Tiffany blue and white reign in this beautiful home office (seriously…I think I would never leave my desk!):

via Domino

A bedroom with several shades of turquoise and lots of airy and bright whites: